Mail-box.



F. W. TAYLOR. MAIL Box;

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1910. 1 01 9 554 Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

F. W. TAYLOR.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1910. I 1 01 9 55% Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH CO WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. TAYLOR, F CANUTE, OKLAHOMA.

MAIL-BOX.

Application filed July 6, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK lV. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Canute, in the county of Vashita and State of Oklahoma, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n mail boxes and is moreparticularly intended for use with rural mail boxes.

One object of the invention is the pro-- vision of an attachment for amail box adapted to sound an alarm to the owner of the box when matterhas been deposited in the box by the carrier.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more fullyhereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain noveldetails of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims; it being understoodthat yarious changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details ofthe device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification;Fignre 1is a vertical section through the mail box provided with my improveddevice and also showing the connection between the device and the alarm.Fig. 2 is a sectional end view of the device. Fig. 3 is a sectional endview on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout.

The mail box includes in its construction a bottom 5 which is oblong incontour. The bottom 5 is provided at one end with a depending extension6, said extension 6 ending in a bottom plate 7. Rising from the oppositesides of the bottom 5 and also from the opposite sides of the extension6 and bottom plate 7 are side walls 8 and 9, and rising from the end ofthe bottom 5 is an end wall 10 and from the end of the bottomSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 570,631.

plate 7 a similar end wall 11, the upper end of which is in a plane withthe edges of the side walls 8 and 9-and end wall 10. A suitable top orcover is designated by the numeral 12 and is arranged on the upper edgesof the side and end walls. The end wall 8 is provided with the letterentrance slot adjacent to its upper end, which is normally sealed by apivoted strip 18, and a door opening is formed preferably in the endwall 10 which is normally sealed by the hinged door 14.

A mail receptacle or platform 15 is arranged within the box, and saidreceptacle is of less width than the box, and is secured to the sidewalls 8 and 9 by means of screws 16 and 17 which are threaded throughthe side walls of the receptacle or platform, and which engage pins 16and 17 which are secured to the side walls 8 and 9 of the mail box belowthe plane of the letter slot. By tightening the screws against the pinsthe receptacle 15 may be held against movement and bydisconnecting saidscrews from said pins the receptacle may be placed against the bottom 5so as to render a circuit closing device inoperative as might be desiredin the case of the owner leaving his residence for a limited time or forother reasons. The receptacle or platform 15 is engaged at one end by aleaf spring 18, which has one of its ends secured to the bottom of themail box, and which is sufficiently weak to yield when a relativelylight weighted object is placed in the receptacle or platform. An arm 19secured at one end to the end wall 10 is adapted to limit the upwardmovement of the receptacle or platform.

By reference now to Fig. 2 it will be seen that one end of thereceptacle or platform 15 extends to a point in a plane with thedownward extension 6 and fixedly secured to the medial portion of thisend of the receptacle or platform is a rod 20. Slidingly fitted on therod 20 is a weight 21 the said weight having a set screw 22 by means ofwhich it is adjustably secured to the rod, the weight serving toproperly balance the receptacle or platform so that the latter willyield under a comparatively light weight.

Secured to the end wall 11 are a pair of spaced angular contact plates23 and 24, the lower sides of said plates being a trifle above the planeof the receptacle or platform and arm, when the said platform and armare in their normal horizontal position. Secured to the extremity of therod or arm 20 is a transversely disposed circuit closer 25, of a lengthsomewhat greater than the distance between the contact plates 23 and 2 1and directly underlying the latter so that when the receptacle orplatform is depressed and the arm 20 moves upwardly the circuit closerwill abut against the lower sides of the contact plates 23 and 2 1.

Arranged in the pocket formed by the downward extension 6 and bottomplate 7 are one or more battery cells designated by the numeral 26. Aconducting wire 27 connects one terminal of the battery circuit with thecontact plate 2 f, the opposite contact plate 23 being connected withone post of an electric bell 28 by means of a conducting wire 29. Aconducting wire 30 connects the opposite terminal of the battery circuitwith the opposite post of the bell. It will be understood that the bell28 is arranged in the house the conducting wires 29 and 30 beingextended from the box which is generally at the roadway to the house. A.switch 31 is arranged in the conducting wire 80, the said switch beinglocated adjacent to the bell and in the house, the said switch servingto keep the circuit open when the receptacle or platform 15 accidentallydescends.

In the operation of the device and assuming that the switch 31 is closedit will be seen when the carrier drops an object into the box and thesaid object falls in the receptacle or platform 15 one end portion ofthe receptacle or platform will descend, whereby the opposite end willmove upwardly until the circuit closer 25 engages with the contactplates 23 and 2-1 thus closing the circuit between the batteries andbell, whereby the operator will be notified that there is mail in thebox. It will be seen when the switch 31 is open which is generally thecase when the owner has left the house, and mail deposited in the box,the bell will not ring, when the owner returns to the house and desiresto ascertain whether or not mail has been deposited in the box he simplycloses the switch whereupon the bell will ring if the receptacle orplatform has been depressed as before described.

The letter receptacle 15 is located directly below the horizontal planeof the letter entrance slot, so that any letter passed through this slotinto the box will fall directly into the receptacle, and instantlydepress the end of the receptacle bearing on the spring 18, whilecausing the arm 20 to rise and the transverse terminal or circuit closer25 to engage the free ends of the angular contact plates 23 and 24.

By locating the screws laterally of the central point in the letterentrance slot the receptacle is supported within the box so that themajor portion of any mail inserted in the slot and dropping into thereceptacle will positively tilt the receptacle so as to close the alarmcircuit, and it will be impossible for a letter to so engage thereceptacle as to hold said receptacle against the stop 19 by reason ofthe increased weight on the end ofsaid receptacle between the pivotscrews and the circuit closer.

From the foregoing, it is evident that I have provided a device which iscomparatively simple in structure and inexpensive in manufacture,embodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangementwill be reduced to a minimum.

1 claim 1. In combination a mail box having a letter entrance slot inone of its side walls, pins secured to the side walls, of the box belowthe horizontal plane of said slot and projecting inwardly of said sidewalls, an open receptacle adapted to receive letters passed through theslot into the box, screws for pivotally supporting said receptacle, saidscrews having conical ends extending through the side walls of thereceptacle and bearing at their conical ends against the free ends ofsaid pins, said screws being adjustable to hold the receptacle againstfree movement or to permit of free pivotal movement, an arm secured toone end of the receptacle and provided with a transverse terminalcircuit closer on its free end, a weight adjustably mounted on the armto balance the receptacle, angular contact plates secured to the box inspaced relation from each other and with their free ends supported inposition to be engaged by the circuit closer of said arm, a leaf springsecured to the box and bearing at its free end against the bottom of thereceptacle, and an alarm circuit connected with the contact plates.

2. In a mail box, a box having a side wall formed with a letter entranceslot extending longitudinally thereof, pivot pins secured to the sidewalls of the box in registering positions and laterally of the centralpoint in said slot, a receptacle movable with in the box and disposedbelow the letter slot to receive the letters inserted in said slot,screws extending through the side walls of the receptacle and engagingthe pins to support said receptacle for pivotal movement within the box,said screws removably supporting the receptacle on the box, a springadapted to support the receptacle in a normal horizontal position, a.stop for limiting the upward movement of the receptacle at one endthereof, a weighted arm mounted on one end of the receptacle andextending In testimony whereof I afi'lX my signature longitudinallythereof and formed on its in presence of tWo Witnesses.

terminal With a transverse circuit closer, T 1

angular contact members secured to the box FRALK TAYLOR and adapted tobe engaged by the transverse \Vitnesses: circuit closer and an alarmcircuit con- E. O. BIRD, nected with the contacts. J. WV. HOWE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

